OFFSTAGE: Blake Shelton Is Chelsea Handler’s Hot Mess

(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that’s happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

Blake Shelton doesn’t give little yellow tank tops to just anyone. But he apparently has a thing for Chelsea Handler, and she took the trouble to frame it. The last time he was on her show, Chelsea Lately, he brought her this tank that says, “Hot Mess Blake Shelton Was My 600th.” It was her 600th show that night — and the night Shelton became the country star who’s made the most appearances there. What is it about Shelton that Handler digs so much that she would have him on the show again for a record-breaking fourth time? Well, I know she kind of likes country music because she told me once, “It’s like hip-hop in terms of, the more you listen to it, the more you like it.” And then she told me Tuesday (March 29), “We’ve had Blake on the show before. He’s a real hot mess. That’s the No. 1 quality I look for in a guest.” I also know she and the hot mess share a very out-there sense of humor. And they tweet about each other sometimes, too. Just today Shelton wrote, “I asked Miranda if I could do @chelseahandler while I was in L.A. tonight. She said ok.. YES!! She completely misunderstood what I meant!!” So who knows what Tuesday night’s episode will bring. Might be nice if she pulled that tank top out of the frame and wore it during the interview, though.